ON FURTHER RESEARCH IN THE ANTARCTIC REGIONS. 317 



Tour Committee, having thus given publicity to tliis desirable project, 

 feel that their services are no longer required at present, but they trust 

 the Council of the British Association may embrace an early opportunity 

 for approaching H.M. Government to carry out this noble work of 

 research into the Antarctic regions. 



Downing Street, December 12, 1887. 



I am directed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to transmit to 

 you, to be laid before the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, a copy of 

 a letter from the Agent-General for Victoria, inquiring whether Her 

 Majesty's Government will contribute the sum of 5,000/., in the event of 

 the Australian Colonies making a like contribution, towards the cost of 

 an Antarctic exploration. Copies of letters on the subject are also en- 

 closed from the Admiralty, the Royal Colonial Institute, the Royal 

 Geographical Society, and the Royal Society, which their Lordships will 

 observe are all in favour of the co-operation of Her Majesty's Government 

 in this work. A reference was also made to the Board of Trade, and it 

 will be seen from the accompanying copy of their reply that in their 

 opinion it does not appear necessary in the interests of trade that Her 

 Majesty's Government should contribute towards the expense. The 

 Board of Trade do not, however, seem to have regarded the probability of 

 a considerable trade in sperm oil and other products of whale fishery 

 arising in the future, or the importance of the expedition for scientific 

 purposes, which it is believed would constitute the principal object of the 

 expedition, and the value of which is strongly attested by the Royal 

 Geographical Society and the Royal Society. Sir H. Holland trusts 

 their Lordships will give their favourable consideration to this application 

 on behalf of the Government of Victoria and consent to the contribution 

 of the sum of 5,000?. towards the scientific objects of the expedition. It 

 would seem undesirable for Her Majesty's Government to take any direct 

 share in the equipment or management of the expedition. 



I am, &c., 



John Beamston. 



The Secretary to the Treasury. 



Treasury Chambers, January 3, 1888. 



The Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury request you to 

 inform Secretary Sir Henry Holland that they have had before them Mr. 

 Bramston's letter of the 12th ultimo, submitting for their favourable con- 

 sideration an inquiry, made by the Agent-General for Victoria, whether 

 Her Majesty's Government would contribute 5,O00L towards the cost of 

 an expedition to explore the Antarctic regions, if such an expedition were 

 undertaken by the Australian Colonies. The objects of this expedition 

 would be (1) the promotion of trade and (2) scientific inquiry. But the 

 department best able to judge of the first does not think the interests 

 involved sufficient to justify the proposed imperial contribution ; and the 

 general result of the communications regarding the second object, received 

 from scientific bodies, is to show that an expedition on the scale contem- 

 plated could do very little in the way of scientific investigation, and would 

 have to be regarded simply as a pioneer of future more complete and 

 costly expeditions. In view of this testimony, and of the many other 

 pressing calls for imperial aid which they have felt it necessary to refuse, 

 my Lords do not feel that they would be warranted in asking Parliament 



